End of a Detente
by Caro Iunia
Summary: *Complete* Life onboard the Enterprise becomes more complicated as tensions collide. (R/S, T/S). (un beta-ed)
1. With possibilities and unrequited love

Title: End of a détente

Author: Caroiunia

Pairings: R/S, T/S

Rating: **PG-13**

Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star Trek, unfortunately.

Summary: Life onboard the Enterprise becomes more complicated as tensions collide.

Authour's Note: This is my first Enterprise fic, do please read and review!

Trip ran. His heart was pounding, its noise deafening in his ears. His legs, moving to the rhythm of his heart, moved swiftly back and forth. His lungs were burning, desperately taking in the all-clean, Starfleet-approved air. The treadmill automatically adjusted to his slowing pace. He breathed deeper. He felt his whole body sigh a relief that it was done. 

He grabbed his cotton towel and wiped the beads of sweat off his face. As his got of the treadmill, he momentarily looked around the empty exercise room. He closed his eyes and poured cold, refreshing water over his head. He felt the heat from his face evaporate the water. 

He was happy that no one else was there; this was his chance to burn his frustration, and he was extremely frustrated with engineering today. He walked out of the sliding doors back to his cabin.

            Hoshi Sato sat in bed, reading the latest novel she had received from Earth. She had her blanket wrapped around her like a fortress against the cold. She always thought that the temperature on the ship became colder during the "night". When the lights in the halls were dimmed, and only a skeleton crew remained awake to stand guard against whatever the ship may encounter, the ship itself seemed to fall asleep. 

Her clock glared 22:00, and she felt her stomach twinge with hunger. _Just this chapter_ she thought, unwilling to leave her bastion of warmth. Eventually she put the story down, and leaned back onto her headboard. 

She looked at the door and knew that she had to go and eat. Her bare feet touched the ground sending shivers down her spine. She smiled to herself as she saw the comm. panel by the door. Surely she could call someone to bring her some food? But she looked back at the clock: 23:00. That last chapter had meant that everyone was gone from the mess. She chuckled at her idea. At least she could go in her pyjamas she thought as she went out her door. 

            The corridors twisted to the door of the mess. She entered the empty diffuse lighted room. No one seemed to be there. She began to search for something to eat. A piece of chocolate cake, some fruit, some water, a perfectly balanced meal. _Mother would have lectured me if she saw me now_. Hoshi smiled at herself.

She sat down in one of the padded seats facing the passing stars. The stars had always fascinated her, like a child looking in awe at magic. She had loved to look at the stars when she was little, picking out constellations among the chaotic arrangements in the sky. Although she couldn't pick out any constellations aboard the Enterprise, she felt safe seeing them. She always assumed that she would _see_ the stars, not travel among them. She paused to think about that. No, she not only felt safe seeing the stars, she felt safe with everyone aboard. A flood of nostalgia swept over her as she smiled and continued eating.

Trip entered into the mess. His stomach growled loudly as the doors swept loudly, causing him to see the surprised and bemused face of Hoshi turn around.

"Hungry?" Hoshi asked, smiling at the commander and his tinged cheeks. Charles Tucker smiled back and relaxed.

"Well a man's gotta eat," he replied. "And shouldn't you actually _eat something, not just skip to dessert?" They often meet like this, late at night. Trip's hair always wet and dishevelled as if his grandmother had met him and ruffled his blond-brownish hair. And they always had the same opening lines._

"So, Trip… Why are you up so late?" Hoshi tried to offer. 

"You know, got side tracked, had to work off this," he slapped his stomach as Hoshi laughed, "You know, that kind of stuff." He didn't want to explain to her why had been running, it just wasn't a good time. _Hoshi has her own problems, she doesn't need to hear me whining. I'll just not worry about it now._

Hoshi saw the pause in his expression, but decided not to pursue it. Trip was a man who was the happy one, the optimistic one. He didn't like the burdens of life and didn't want to be reminded of them. But Hoshi wanted to help him. While he was everyone's friend, he had seemed very alone these past few weeks. 

Trip looked at Hoshi as she played with the ruffles of chocolate of the icing of her cake. _How did she do it? She is managing better than I am being out here. He looked back his food, the chicken seeming as unappetising as it was cold. _

"Trip, why don't we steal some of Chef's stuff and make something that is not stale or old?"

"The cake is that bad, huh?" Hoshi nodded her face in a very grave yes. They both laughed and got rid of their food.

Chef found his kitchen under a layer of flour early the next morning.

…

2 months later

_Damn it! "Captain, we have lost contact with the away teams." Hoshi turned to meet Jonathan Archer's concerned face. He paused for a second, and looked at the ground. He had come to expect this. Meet a friendly species and something was guaranteed to go wrong. He looked back to Hoshi Sato, his communications officer, this time more resolute. _

"Hoshi, keep on trying to raise them. And try to contact our hosts…" He paused, as if to consider his options, "… try to get as much information out of them as possible." He knew they wouldn't be cooperative. But why would they want Trip, Simmons, Janera and Manzzero? Three engineers and an armoury officer on tour in some power plant. And then Cutler, Hanzera and Phlox. Just being shown a new hospital. "T'Pol?" He asked, wanting the Vulcan to fill his incomplete thoughts. 

"Captain, I am unable to detect the away team. Their shuttles appear to be unaffected," she replied matter-a-factly, turning to face the captain with her arm in a cast. She had been injured on an away mission two weeks ago, along with the captain'sfoot, and both of them exchange glances acknowledging their invalidity. 

"Hoshi, any signs at all?" Archer asked.

"Captain, it looks like some sort of storm area is moving in," she double checked her monitor, "They won't be able to contact us until this has cleared up."  Archer searched his mind for alternatives. They might have stumbled onto something they weren't supposed to see. There might have been some linguistic misinterpretation. There might have been an accident… 

As if she had been reading his mind, T'Pol leaned over her monitor and raised an eyebrow. "It appears as if their major communications array is damaged." 

"T'Pol, why didn't you tell me this earlier?" 

"I was unaware of this earlier. It appears that it has been damaged for some time, sir. However, during our last scan it was intact."

"Hoshi, is there any way to get a message through to the government?"

"No, Captain. And still no response from the away teams." Archer realised what he needed to do. 

"Lieutenant," he turned to Malcolm Reed, "assemble an away team. And bring Hoshi." Hoshi sighed. She felt her nerves begin to fray. But her friends were down there, and she might be able to help them. She walked into the turbo life with a waiting Malcolm Reed.

…

            Her hands were all clammy, and she felt unusually small among the armoury officers in the small shuttlepod. This wasn't what she had set out to do in life, but this is what she was doing. She tried to sit a bit straighter, to seem a bit taller among the imposing armoury officers. Malcolm Reed turned around and looked at her and the armoury officer across from her.

            "This may get a bit rough. We will be encountering some turbulence. But once we get on the ground we won't have much time. Sato, you go with me when we split up. We will go looking for Commander Tucker's team first. We must assume the worst." Hoshi felt her body tense up more. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. A rush was coming, an uncertainty whether she would be safe, she would get hurt, whether she would live or not. Just like Trip and she had talked about all those late nights. It was becoming an addiction, a cycle she had to follow through. Trip and she had joked about this addiction. Joked about how they would cope once the Enterprise had finished her mission. She opened her eyes slowly again, and felt the shuttle start to shake. It was starting.

            Now it all rested it on him. He was expected to bring everyone back safe and sound. He was expected to save the day, and then step gratuitously back and let those saved take the limelight. The turbulence set in. He looked back again towards Hoshi. She seemed so determined, so ready for anything. She had gone through a metamorphosis. She was like a butterfly… _No, not now Malcolm._ You have a duty_. He faced forward again. It was starting._

…

            On the surface, the team mobilised. They scurried to the power plant through the sand storm which was slowly engulfing the planet. The air was thick from dust swept from the ground. They ran, one by one, to the next point, slowly advancing to the power plant. Sometimes the sand shaped itself into shadowy figures that would become visible in the storm, causing the party to stop, but never did they see the face of anyone. 

            "Sato, can you read this inscription?" Hoshi approached the plaque next to the door.

            "West… reactor… Something about authorization. This is the last known location of Trip's… Commander Tucker's team however."

            "Alright. This is a basic hit and run. We just want to get our people back. Also, if we can, we need to find out more about what cause this," Malcolm Reed instructed as he looked around. Everyone nodded and the door was forced open. A distinct curiosity had crept over him about how quickly the situation changed on the planet. And no-one undermined the safety of his fellow crew.

            Inside, the place seemed eerily quiet compared to the wind outside. The big space stood quiet, no sound coming from its pipes or tanks. The small troop moved cautiously forward.

            "Sir, I'm not reading any life signs." 

            "Sir…" one of the ensigns pointed towards the grey flooring. A small drip of red, liquid blood was visible. Malcolm bent down, and touched it with his hand. He cautiously smelt it. 

            "It appears to be human, but we cannot afford to jump to conclusions. We will go this way," he said, motioning them down a hall. They continued to move down cautiously. Hoshi felt her breathing get heavy again. Her heart beat heavily in her chest. She swore that Malcolm noticed, and felt her face redden. She would not allow him to treat her like she was some corpse. 

            They continued down the corridor. "In here," Malcolm signalled. They walked into a small room filled with boxes and canisters. The room appeared to be a storage room, its walls grey and cracked. They stood still for a moment, breathing heavily from the tension.

            "Did you hear that?"

            They all stopped breathing for a moment and listened. Then they heard what Hoshi had heard before, a small cough. Everyone raised their weapons and moved into a small cluster formation facing outwards. 

            "Over here," one of the ensigns whispered. Behind the boxes, in a small drab corner, sat the two away teams and several the aliens, asleep. Hoshi rushed forward to Trip. She looked over him, searching for any injuries. _Oh Trip, what happened? Starfleet officers don't fall asleep on duty. And Trip was the model Starfleet officer. _

            Malcolm Reed looked over at Ensign Sato. She sat, bent over, next to Trip, trying to make him wake up. She was beautiful, even though she was sand encrusted and tense. He could just sit next to one of the boxes and watch her. Her uniform sat tight over her bum… _Damn it Reed. Not now._ He turned around and continued to wake the officers around him. He glanced back towards Hoshi. She seemed to notice Trip's arm around the female alien. _Never one to miss an opportunity, eh Trip?_ Hoshi's eyes seemed to blink and open in a new, more formal manner. He felt a pit in his stomach form. He wanted to make it go way. For a moment, he wanted to hit Trip, before he caught himself drifting again and focused on his work.

            They quickly woke the groggy crew and the aliens. No one knew what had happened to them. They were sent back to their shuttles through the storm. The aliens seemed unwilling to stay and asked to come along. It wasn't an option to leave them, not until they knew what had happened. They were sent in small groups back to the shuttles. The wind was heavier this time, and the crew quickly disappeared into the haze.

            Malcolm and Hoshi stood with the last of the crew venturing out and back to the ship.

            "Ensign, I think we need to find out what has happened. Ensign Sato and I will stay a bit long and observe more which could perhaps explain this situation. Leave a shuttle for us." His eyes meet the ensign across from him. Hoshi stood next to him, looking out through the door at the blizzard outside. The last group ran into the blizzard cautiously looking back at the ensign and the lieutenant.

            "Where are we going?" Hoshi asked. She felt her heart begin to race again, but tried not to betray herself.

            "I was rather hoping that you could tell me that," Malcolm replied. He looked around the big room before moving towards a pale green door in one of the corners. 

            "What does this door say? Does it lead to any central control room?"

            "I'm not sure."

            "Ensign, this is not a time for indecision. Tell me, should we open this door or not?" He looked at her, seeing the panic in her eyes. "Ensign, don't worry. Hoshi," she turned around, surprised that he would use her first name, "I trust you." The words gave her the courage to nod slightly and turn back to the label on the door.

            "Down here," she said, opening the door with a squeak and started walking down a long narrow corridor without hesitation.

            "Ladies first," he muttered and followed her down with a small smile on his face. He was happy that he had given her some courage. _Maybe…_

            Several corridors later, they found themselves in a small room filled with panels and equipments. The pale lighting did little to illuminate the dark room. Hoshi moved from panel to panel, muttering "temperature, lights, status… Status! Over here, this is the status panel." 

            "Can you see what is happening here?" Malcolm asked as he peered over he shoulder.

            Hoshi looked at the various lights and displays. "It looks like… there was some power surge before we lost contact… I can't be more specific… wait," her face drew together in an extremely worried expression, "I think… I think… the power core is becoming unstable. I think its going explode."

            "You think. Can you be more specific?" Malcolm's previous benevolence was gone and his face grew sombre. 

            "Look here," she pointed to one of the monitors, "this shows the temperature. This is what it has been like the past week. But this," she called up another image, "Is the past day. See, the temperature is increasing." 

Malcolm moved closer to the picture. "It's increasing exponentially! Bloody hell, we have hardly got 15 minutes. We can't make it back…" He looked at Hoshi. "Can you try and raise the ship?" Hoshi picked up her communicator and tried. Blurbs of static came through. 

"They're trying to understand us. Sir, I can hear them, but I don't think that they can hear us," Malcolm recalled last time when Hoshi could make sense of the static, "Wait," she started to press one of the many buttons on the communicator, issuing a series of beeps. 

"Morse code...." Malcolm said to himself. 

"Even if they can't hear us, they can pick up on the patterns." A quick reply came back. "They are telling us to get out now. They are trying to transport us, but…" She looked up at him. He avoided her deep eyes and looked around the room. He couldn't bear to face her. If this really was their last moments, he didn't want his feelings betraying her. He couldn't confess that he; no, no, he couldn't face it now. He had to find a way out. He looked around at the small room. _Something isn't right about this room. __Why would a control room be filled with all of this junk? He saw something covered in the corner. He resolutely walked over to it, and unveiled the object. _Bloody hell._ It looked like the handles of a motorcycle attached to a large grey box. _

"What's that?" Hoshi asked, still looking at her displays. She felt confused. Her stomach was doing flips. She was regretting ever enjoying that rush she got before an away mission. And now Malcolm was concerning himself with some _thing_ in this godforsaken power plant. _That man really is a robot_. A small well of anger began to form. _God, I've seen coffins with people more alive in them. And I even thought that he had a heart back there. She turned around and looked at him, trying to pierce his armour._

Malcolm turned around. _Why is she looking at me like that? Hoshi's arms were crossed and she stood off balance with one foot forward. "Can you read this?" he asked her. _

She walked forward and looked at him incuriously. 

"It seems like it is some sort of 'shift' device. It can be adjusted by this control, and this thing." She stepped back to give Malcolm room. He grabbed both of the handles and waited for something to happen.

_What the… Hoshi saw Malcolm, and him again, and again. It seemed like shadowy versions of his started filling the room, each one of them different. In one, he was dressed in simple civilian clothes, and holding something which seemed to have the shape of a baby. Another one of him was lying down asleep. Another was talking passionately about something to an invisible crowd. Another was dancing and laughing with someone. It was him, never his partner. Another was one kissing the air. It was like she could see every possibility every facet of Malcolm. __Wait. She walked though the thickening cloud of Malcolms towards the box with handles. A small round accentuation on the surface of the box was nest to the word "shift". She instinctively pressed down on it. A shocked Malcolm let go. It felt like he had been ubiquitously present._

"What was that?" a startled Malcolm asked Hoshi. 

"You were everywhere," her eyes gleamed with amazement. "I think that 'shift' means more than just moving through space. It was like you moved through alternative universes." She paused for a second, looked into his unbelieving eyes before looking back at the strange machine. "OK, I know I'm not some quantum physicist or anything, but hear me out. Is there anything else that can explain it?"

"Well I quite doubt that anything can explain that," he looked at the handles, "I have an idea. Could this thing actually _take_ us to one of these alternatives?" 

"Maybe if I…" she pressed several buttons in combination, "ok, I thank if you turn the handles like this," she twisted the handles you back slowly, "you flip through the things. Malcolm, I don't have a clue what I'm doing!"

"Its all right, Miss Quantum physicist," he gave her a cheeky grin, "it can't get any worse." The mood seemed to get a bit darker at his comment. _Smooth Reed, real smooth._ He kicked himself mentally. But duty called. "Hold on Hoshi, we might just be getting out of here." She grabbed on to him, tightly hugging his abdomen. 

"Go"

"Captain, I'm reading a massive energy surge on the surface. I believe the power plant has just exploded," T'Pol's face was irritably passive. 

"Any word from Reed and Sato?"

"None."

The captain sighed heavily. "Call Trip to my ready room as soon as he gets back," he said, storming into his ready room.

…

            She woke up on her stomach with her cheek pressed on cool, stone floor. She felt washed out, as if she was mentally awake but not physically. She opened her eyes to a shadowed blue light. She pressed her hands down on the floor, and pushed her self up, flipping her self around and, still using her hands to support her, leaned back. Her head started to throb. _The sea, the wind… Com'on Hoshi, get yourself together._ She momentarily leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She felt strong, comforting arms pick her up and carry her next to its chest. They dropped her in a soft bed, far softer than her bed on the Enterprise. Sleep crept back into her aching body and she drifted away from reality.

2 hours later

She woke up abruptly. Where was she? A moment of sheer panic swept over her, before her memory tried to calm her down. She got out of the wide bed. _Bed?_ She looked around. She was in a very spacious room somewhere overlooking the sea. It seemed like a cool minimalist room. The marble flooring contrasted beautifully with the white walls and the cubist furniture. The only colour was the deep crimson blanket on the bed and the hypnotic blue of the sea outside. 

            Hoshi walked into the next room, still slightly bedazzled. The next room continued in the minimalist tradition, but was filled with a large sofa to encircled a black coffee table, a long dining table with four tall and narrow chairs seating it, a kitchen with all amenities, a fire place, the strange machine and Malcolm Reed. She looked at him from the doorway. He stood in the kitchen, preparing some sort of meal. She could smell the sweet and spicy scent of whatever was on the stove. He looked surprisingly at ease in the kitchen. She would never have imagined that this tight man, who enjoyed explosions, would have any culinary talent. Suddenly she felt stupid for offering to cook for him when trying to find out his favourite food. A small smile crept across her face.

            "Not bad, but I wanted something a bit…" she waved her hand in the air, "bigger." She smiled broadly and winked at him. He looked up calmly, as if he had expected her just that second.

            "Well, I tried for an English cottage, but…" he smiled back. It hit Hoshi how rarely he smiled. It made him seem much more real. Then she realised that he wasn't wearing his uniform anymore. Instead, he was wearing a tight, black, long sleeved shirt and khaki trousers. _He looks really good_ she found herself surprised saying. Apparently Malcolm noticed her looking at him.

            "They were in the bedroom," he nodded to the door way behind her, "There are some for you too." She looked at him, then behind, into the room, and then back. 

            "Malcolm, where are we?" her hand moved to her hips. This was all a bit to perfect. Food, clothes, beautiful view. This didn't happen to the crew of the Enterprise. She looked at the machine.

            "I don't know how to explain this," he stopped chopping vegetables and leaned forward, "but I wished for this."

            "What?"

            "When I was holding onto that thing, I wished to get away from where we were, to somewhere like this," his eyes wandered the walls of the room before returning to her, "I don't know how to explain it, but I think I know how that thing works to. It just came to me when I woke up." Hoshi closed her eyes in exasperation. She sighed.

            "So can you get us back?" 

Her words struck him deeper than he had expected. It was as if she had said "I hate it here and I would rather be anywhere than here with you. So his retort felt like a small revenge. "No," he said bluntly, and resumed chopping, "It needs a power source to get us both back. And at the moment, it can barely get one of back." He gathered the chopped vegetables together and swept them off the chopping board into a bowl. He placed the bowl, along with a large wooden fork and spoon, on the marble counter. He turned around and flipped something onto a plate. He carried the plate to the dining table, not looking at Hoshi. He carried two plates, forks and knives, and glasses over to the dining table and set them out in an orderly fashion. He carried the rest of things over to the table and sat down, spreading the napkin over his legs. He looked up at her.

"There is enough for you too." But he decided that this was not the time to get mad at her, and smiled.

She had been angry for a moment, but at his smile, she couldn't help smile back. She walked over and sat down across from him. 

"Let's see if you can cook," she said with a mischievous grin. 

            They ate in almost complete silence, broken only by requests for whatever happened to be across the table. There was a nervous tension in the air, solidify with each morsel chewed. Finally, it stirred.

            "Thank you Malcolm, this was really good." Hoshi let break a small smile.

            "No problem at all, ensign."

            "Drop the formality, just call me Hoshi." She was stuck with this man for however long and she didn't want it to feel any longer.

            Malcolm smiled, as if he had read her thoughts, "Hoshi, why don't get this and you can take a shower and get tidied up." Hoshi had hardly realised what a state she was in. Dust from the sand storm caked her uniform and hair. She looked down at herself and chuckled. _You're a sight for sore eyes._ She rose and took her plate and glass over to the sink. 

            "Malcolm, you get a stunning view but no dishwasher?" she joked with him.

            "Don't worry I'll get it," he said gesturing her off to the bedroom. She walked off and closed the door.

            She closed the door softly behind her, and then sat down on the bed. She felt a pit build in her stomach. _Why me? Why do I have o get stuck here with him? Stuck here, with little chance of getting back._ The room was quiet and gave no reply. _Hoshi, get a grip. Then something hit her. _How did Malcolm know that the food was safe to eat? Why is this place abandoned? And where is the door to get out of here?_ She looked at the bedroom door, half expecting it to open now. But it remained stagnant. She got up and looked in the closets that were embedded into the walls. Inside, she found it filled with clothes. On the shelves lay sweaters and shirts of different colours and shapes. Trousers hung neatly on hangers, more were simply baggy combat khakis, similar to the ones that Malcolm had been wearing. Next to those were beautiful dresses of all types of style. It didn't make sense. There was even underwear in one of the drawers. She picked a simple composition, some drawstring linen trousers matched with v-necked long sleeve blue shirt and simple black underwear. She put them on the bed and got into the beckoning shower._

            She came out with one of the large towels twisted tightly around her, her hair encapsulated in another towel. She quickly changed, and looked herself in the bathroom mirror when she was finished. _Not bad_. She traced her face with her hand, feeling the smoothness of cleanliness. _Now for some answers_. She was determined to make Malcolm answer her questions.

            She walked into the large living room, and saw Malcolm bent over the machine, tracing its inscriptions with his fingers.

            "What are you doing?" she asked as he turned around to see her.

            "I was looking for some sort of clue of how much power it would take to get us back," he answered, slightly taken aback by the edge in her voice. Hoshi was always the calm and sensible one with her voice staying even. 

            "How did you know that the food was not poisonous?" she blurted, with more questions following, "how do you this place's owners won't come back and kill us? How do you get out of this place? How…" 

He quickly interjected, "I didn't, I don't know where the people who used to live here are. And there is no door, but I think we can get out anyway. It's all this blooming machine's fault." His tone was exasperated. They both paused, looking each other in the eyes. Finally, Hoshi turned away.

"Any luck?" she ventured as reconciliation. Malcolm shook his head. "I'm sorry; I'm just not good at dealing with all of this."

"You are doing fine," he said. 

"Explain to me how you know so much about what that thing does," she said, sitting down of the large, soft sofa. 

"I'm not sure how to explain it. It's as if the machine told me," he sat down across from her. "You were right about alternative universes back there. Have you heard about Schrödinger?" Hoshi replied with a small nod. "He had this theory about quantum duality. Say you have a cat in a box. And for some reason, there is an equal chance that this cat will be alive or dead. But until you open the box, you don't know," he stopped and waited for Hoshi to start nodding her head again, "What if, instead or being alive _or_ dead, the cat was alive_ and _dead?"

"But it can't be both!"

"This isn't a real cat though, this is Schrödinger's cat. Many theories stemmed from this. Including the idea that at each moment the universe divides itself. It has to possibilities, like the cat. Since it cannot be both at once, it divides into two universes, one where the cat is alive, one where it isn't." She looked wide eyed.

"You mean alternative universe. So this machine in lets you move in-between the different universe."

"Not only that, but you can move backwards and forwards in time." They were both silent, looking intently at the coffee table.

"Malcolm, when we used the machine, everything that was touching you came along, including me. By why didn't the floor come?"

"My guess is that there are sensors on the bottom of this thing to make sure that it doesn't bring whole buildings along."

"How do you know this?"

"I'm not sure."

They both rose and started working on a way to get back. 

            The sun soon began to set and the room became darker and darker. There was no electric lighting in the ceiling, but Hoshi managed to find candles and placed them around the two rooms. They had been working the entire day, while mumbling perhaps and maybes at regular intervals. 

            Hoshi had felt reluctant the whole day. There was just something that was bothering her this entire time. She knew that it was stupid, and very childish of her, but she couldn't help it. Space had hardened her crust, but she was still soft inside. It was Trip. She wished he was there instead of Malcolm. She wished he would talk to her, make her laugh, just make her feel safe. With Malcolm, and T'Pol, she felt as if she needed to constantly prove herself. She couldn't fail in front of them. And now she had. Back in the power plant, she almost broke down. And now here… She hated being alone like this. 

            Malcolm was just too regimented. He was a military man; he couldn't survive without his rules and etiquette. He was too quiet, too distrustful, too violent, too proper, too British. She sighed deeply. He looked up at her from the other side of the machine.

            "Are you alright? Maybe we should take a break?" _His eyes have real concern in them_ she though. _How could you have judged him like that?_ A pang of guilt shot through her, making her feel ashamed. 

            "Sure." She got up from the table where she had been writing down thoughts. She had found paper in one of the drawers. It seemed as if their cage, as she now referred to it as, had provided for almost everything. "How about I make dinner?"

            "Your infamous enchiladas?" he said to her, smiling. She blushed.

            "Alright, if there is what I need here." She smiled to herself, thinking about Trip and her little adventures in the kitchen. Chef was always complaining about "those rats". Secretly, she thought that he knew. 

            "If its all right, I think I will shower," Malcolm said, breaking her small day dream. 

            "Take your time," she said, before turning to the kitchen.

            He walked into the bed room and closed the door and his eyes. The entire day, Hoshi had made him feel like he was an inconvenience. He undressed quickly and got into the shower. The warm water felt soothing as it ran over his body. He may have been afraid of water at times, but right now, he loved it. It was like it was washing all of his sins away. The water was too comfortable though, so he turned the handle to cold. Soon the water began to numb his skin, and he felt shivers run up his spine. _Why is she so cold to me now? He asked himself. _Trip_ his mind echoed back. He had seen them in the mess late at night. Or heard them. Her sweet laughter at his drawling accent. His wild suggestions which would end in a mess. Sometimes he would see him escorting Hoshi back to her quarters. _

Often he had wondered if he had spent the night. But then another voice came into his head, _he would never _commit himself like that_. Trip was a man who enjoyed the sport of chasing women. Malcolm knew Trip loved the attention that a serenaded woman paid to him. He loved feeling as if was special. _Who doesn't?__

And Trip was a Starfleet officer. He would bend many rules, break many more, but when it came to a woman's feelings he treaded carefully. This was a satisfying thought as Malcolm stepped out of the shower. That, and a mental image of T'Pol's bum always made him feel better.

Hoshi prepared the dinner with incredible speed. She wanted time to have a few moments to tidy herself up before Malcolm came back out. She glanced at herself in the reflection from the oven door. _Maybe I should change_ she thought as she inserted a small apple pie. Her linen trousers were wrinkled and her top was dusted with flour. _Or else I'm going for the slave in kitchen look_. She grabbed a label less bottle of wine and placed it on the table. 

"Fit for a king," she heard Malcolm say as he came back in. He had changed clothes, wearing a grey long sleeved shit and black combats. His brown hair glistened from the shower, turning gold as crests were caught by candle light. Hoshi smiled a smile at him, and he smiled back. Their glances meet for a second, before turning away.

"I guess I better go change then," said Hoshi, as she walked around him, closing the door. 

_Thank god you didn't make any of your infamous kitchen wench jokes, he thought. They had managed to destroy many fine dates. _

He walked over to the table. The candle lit room made everything look _so bloody romantic_. This was not what he needed. Trapped in this beautiful place with a beautiful woman who loves someone else. He opened the bottle and poured himself a hefty glass. _Here's to… here's too… the __Enterprise__. He chugged the glass before filling up another._

_How dressed up should I be? I don't even need to be dressed up! Its just dinner. But she felt she owed it to Malcolm, to make up for being cold to him recently. It had come as a revelation, but she felt now that she had become distinctly colder to him since her late night meetings with Trip. She respected him, she had nothing but respect for him, and she valued his companionship. But recently she didn't have to patience to be with him. He was a burden. _

So she decided to make an effort. She looked at the dresses. Ten of then hung neatly, she laid them out over the bed. Still couldn't decide. So she closed her eyes and pointed into the air, determined to pick one. She opened eyes to find her finger in the direction of a red dress. It was slightly translucent, with thicker fabric covering more sensitive areas. Its back was low, crisscrossed with strands of the delicate fabric which formed a web. It was strapless, but simple. And there was a touch of sparkle over it. She sighed a large sigh. She was going to need a lot of wine this evening.

She entered the room with her hair done up in a simple twist, with her hair-tie skillfully holding her thick black hair up. _Good god. Malcolm gulped, and took another sip of wine. He told himself not to stare, but couldn't help let his eyes rest on her many curves. The gentleman inside of him came to his rescue._

"Would you like a seat, ma'am," he said, pulling out a chair. She sat down with a little smile. He slowly poured her a glass of the red wine. He had brought all of her cooking to the table. He had even brought several of the candles over now that it was almost black outside. 

"You look… beautiful," he stumbled, with the wine starting to effect him. She sipped the whole glass of wine quickly before pouring herself another. They started eating silently. Soon, the entire bottle of wine was gone.

"Allow me," Malcolm volunteered, and another bottle appeared at his hand. Both of them drank to dispel the tension that was returning.

They finished, and moved over to the now lighted fire, sitting on the thick rug before it. The wine cause them to smile at each other more frequently before returning their glazes back to the entrancing flames. Before long, both of their gazes meet and locked.

"You really have nice eyes," Hoshi said, this time not averting her gaze.

"Yours aren't that bad either," he threw back. All of a sudden, they started laughing hysterically at nothing. They both lay down on the rug on their sides. Their eyes meet again. Their breathing became deeper. Hoshi didn't know what came over her, but she moved forward and kissed Malcolm's slightly parted lips. He looked deep into her eyes before returning the kiss. Their kiss became deeper and more intense

 "Trip..." He stopped abruptly and looked at her. His mind and body shattered. He blinked, shocked. He got up and just looked at her. _What have I done?_ Not even the intoxication from the wine left his mind respite.

Hoshi opened her eyes. She looked at him strangely, tilting her head to one side. Then she opened her eyes a bit wider as she realized what had happened. Sh scurried to the bedroom. She closed the door quickly and the whole room was abruptly silent.

_Bloody hell._

Malcolm turned around and looked around the room. He cleaned up the room before resuming work on getting back to the Enterprise. 

…

The next morning

Hoshi knew she couldn't stay in the bedroom forever. She had to go out. Besides, it wasn't fair to keep the bathroom to herself. She looked out the window at the sea. It was calm, unlike her personal sea. _Just think about what T'Pol told you._ With that thought in mind, she opened the door and walked out into the livingroom.

Malcolm looked up momentarily, before returning his eyes to his new contraption.

"Ahh, ensign. I have jerry-rigged a power source. We can now return to the Enterprise." His tone was matter-of-factly, and he never looked her in the eyes.

"Good," was her simple rely. She told the truth, but she wanted to talk too.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I think I'll just get tidied up before we leave."

She nodded. He walked past her and closed the door. 

She looked around the room for a trace of evidence of what had happened, to prove to herself that it hadn't been a dream. But the room was clean. The dishes had been done. The empty wine bottles put in a small box. It could have been a dream.

But it wasn't. It was an uncomfortable reality. She had said Trip's name while… she shuttered to think bout it. She went to sit down on the sofa.

She knew when she started that she was kissing Malcolm Reed. Part of her leapt with joy as she kissed him. But another part called out betrayals. She thought of Trip momentarily. Of how much she adored him. Thought of him. Cared for him deeply him. And suddenly she wasn't kissing Malcolm Reed, but Charles Tucker. She now knew the truth. She loved Trip. But she had shattered Malcolm finding out.

"This is how this works. We will return in a reality where we are in a shuttle pod returning to the Enterprise as the power plant explodes. This," he pointed to the box," will not be coming with us. There just isn't enough power," he looked at her sternly, "This is our only chance." His last words were left to instill an importance of his success to come, and to surface guilt in Hoshi. Hoshi merely nodded. Her impassive face remained unchanged. She held onto him, not too tightly, and closed her eyes.

…

"Lieutenant? Can you here me? This is Enterprise. Come in. Over."

"Enterprise, this is Lieutenant Reed."

"Are you guys alright? One second you guys are on the surface, the next in space."

"Sir, Ensign Sato and I shall explain as much as we can when we return."

"Opening shuttle bay doors."

Malcolm sighed as he manipulated the controls. At least he could quash any dreams about Hoshi and him. His silent détente with her was over. But not for the better.

…


	2. Kisses and fireworks

Title: End of a détente

Author: Caroiunia

Pairings: R/S, T/S

Rating: **PG-13**

Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star Trek. But if Star Trek becomes a cultural icon, couldn't it become property of the state or something and therefore become ours?

Author's note: OK, this is act 2. A lot shorter, I know. Anyway, please review. This is an explainer chapter, don't worry, more action coming up.

            "I have read the Lieutenant's and Ensign Sato's report, as well as a report complied by our guests. It seems that we are dealing with technology far more advanced than we expected. This "shift" technology as seems to be the culprit of the planets degenerative state. T'Pol thinks that we have maybe two days at the most until the planet collapses. We will try to do everything we can to prevent this, and find the missing population. I take it you have all received a copy of our guests' reports? Then you may proceed," Jonathan Archer nodded to the Gumyarians.

            Two of the Gumyarians stood up and made it to the front of the briefing room. From a distance, they looked almost identical to humans. But their noses were wider with two more nostrils, and their hands and feet were delicately webbed. One of the Gumyarians pressed a button on the display screen as the lights dimmed and their presentation began.

            "This is all in our official report. However, we think it might be helpful to explain it ourselves.

            "Our society started out as agrarian, before progressing rapidly into a highly industrialised state. Soon, plants were disappearing from our lands and seas as more and more of our planet was covered with industry. However, the First Great Deprivation soon struck, and we had not enough food or air. Scores of people died. It is a tragedy that we mourn every year." All of the Gumyarians bowed their heads in respect. The speaker continued, "We tried to learn our lesson from this, and further industrialization was heavily regulated and an emphasis on ecology was placed. This seemed to work. Our planet was prosperous, our people healthy. 

            "After some time, these regulations no longer seemed necessary. They were looked upon as bureaucratic antiquities, leftovers from our less civilised days. In sweeping reforms, they were removed. It was heralded as a great day as we left behind the constraints which our more barbaric forms needed. 

            "But time revealed that we had not learnt our mistakes. Soon industrialisation spun out of control. We seemed to have come to the end of our existence. This was the Second Great Deprivation.

            "But our rescue came in this hour of need. One of our most distinguished scientists, Janhan Mer Lekajab, discovered shift technology. 

            "Using shift technology, we were able to trade for food in alternative realities, were it was plentiful. Any raw materials we needed could be procured. We evolved into a highly skilled species, everyone being able to do whatever they wanted to. With shift technology, however, we never procured technological knowledge or finished products. We did not trust ourselves a second time. It would be too easy to simply recoil into a people of ignorami. 

            "Recently, we have been able to expand this technology into not only dealing with alternative universe running parallel to us, but also those in different times." The Gumyarian cleared his throat. He started coughing until he stopped and stood silent. The room was silent, waiting for more. "Curgi, will you take over?" He sat down, leaving the elegant Curgi to speak. She was the same alien whom Trip had had his arm around when they were discovered. Hoshi immediately felt slightly hostile.  

            Curgi started speaking, "We now believe that it is the introduction of time which is causing these problems. The manipulation of time is very important in shift technology. Since the universe, in a sense, splits with every possibility, it impossible to be sure that you are returning to the correct universe. Any number of small changes could occur. With the manipulation of time, this is eliminated by simply returning after you departure. 

            "We believe that the machine affects people in some way. Everyone that had used the machine is gone. That means that almost our entire population has vanished, because of various demonstrations where people have been taking to alternative realties. 

            "We are not sure why the planet itself will collapse. However, we do not foresee it causing any damage when it collapses. That is all." She ended with a sigh, and Jonathan Archer stood up. 

            "Alright, we have been given orders from Earth that we are to leave. Our guests may stay with us until we return to Earth. Sato and Reed, report of Phlox after this. Dismissed."

            The crowd scattered back to their posts.

…

            Hoshi sat at her post, trying to intently concentrate on her work. 

But she couldn't, for to her right was Trip, working on some panels, and behind her was Malcolm, busy with his tactical station. She simply couldn't focus. It felt like the bridge was waiting for her to confess. 

            But she didn't have the nerve to confess. 

"...Vi måste utviga våran allians av planter så att vi är starka mot det osäkra framtiden..."

_What does that mean? She looked at the Starfleet transcript in front of her. _What language is that? _She remind simply couldn't hear the words in her head.  She reluctantly turned on the Universal Translator and ran the transcript through it. The translation would be incomplete, but Archer needed it immediately. The computer displayed "Source language: Swedish" _Of course_ she thought to herself. And she mentally kicked herself. Now she could just fill in the blanks. Finished, she had an excuse to leave. _

            She stood up with a PADD in hand, and walked towards Archer's ready room. She tried her best not to look at Malcolm. They had both said nothing as Phlox cleared them from any medical issues. They had said nothing as they sat at they same table during lunch. A tension had cleared when they were the in the shuttle. But now, they were both unsure of each other. They were waiting for the other's next move.

            Jonathan Archer was sitting with his head in a deep frown. Starfleet had been contacting him relentlessly after he had submitted his report on the Gumyarians. Starfleet wanted this technology. And they wanted it "before the Vulcans take over." Admiral Forrester had stressed how important it was for Earth to have an "equal footing" with the Vulcans. Jon had tried to say that Vulcans believe that time travel was impossible, so they would disregard this technology. But Starfleet wouldn't listen. Instead, they decided to make his life hell.

            His door softly chimed.

            "Come in." He said, without looking up. He knew it was Hoshi.

            "Captain, another transmission," she said. She handed him the PADD and waited for him to give her a signal to leave.

            Jon's eyes narrowed as he looked through the report.

            "Hoshi, Swedish is a dead language, isn't it?"

            "Well, after the merger of Sweden, Denmark and Norway into one barely half a century ago, all of the languages survive in some part. But traditional Swedish is extinct sir."

            Archer leaned back into his chair. "Then why would Starfleet send us a transmission in a dead language. And about something as unimportant as forming an expanded Starfleet. Hoshi, why is this transmission dated over 60 years ago?"

            "Sir?" Hoshi could see why he was concered.

            Jon walked straight out onto the bridge and demanded a status report from T'Pol.

            T'Pol quietly answered after looking at her monitors carefully, "The planet is rapidly becoming unstable. This is nothing that was not predicted." Jonathan felt a well of anger fill, infuriated that T'Pol didn't alert him earlier. His old prejudices against Vulcans, which T'Pol had calmed, were resurfacing. But he tried to remain calm. After all, this did prove that time travel was in some part possible. Ho else could that message have come?

            "T'Pol, how much time do we have left before the planet implodes? I want us out of here as soon as possible," Jon started to pace as he spoke, "and Hoshi, sent a message to Starfleet. Tell them… tell them that we are leaving."

            "Sir, it appears that we have only 20 hours left," T'Pol said with grave importance.

            "Alright," Jon absently replied. "Mayweather, plot a course towards Earth. As fast as possible." Jon had a bad feeling about this place, and he was prepared to leave at any chance. He liked the people, just not their technology or their planet. He hadn't liked the idea of alternative realties, and his experiences had made him wary of manipulations of time. _I wonder if Daniels knows about these people he thought. That thought almost brought a small smile to this face. _

            The Swedish transcript was still fresh in his mind. These people had unwittingly started to tear space and time apart in this part of space. He didn't want to be near when the actual rip came. He went into his ready room, where he could pace without worrying the crew. 

…

            Trip was about to walk into the mess hall and knew he would see Hoshi sitting there, as usual. 

He had been panicking as his shuttle was lifting, leaving Hoshi and Reed on the planet. He had wanted to kill Malcolm. Didn't he understand what **retreat** meant? He had been swearing, cussing loudly as they lifted off. The other crew members had barely been able to keep him in the shuttle. 

            And it was then he realised that he had fallen in love with her. He had fallen in love with his most trusted confidante, his mentor and his best friend.

            Now he had to face her. He took a deep breath and strode into the mess hall. He hoped he did it normally. _Trip, don't screw up what you have going with her. You've got friendship. Don't do anything stupid. _

            Hoshi turned around, but only gave him a nod before turning back to play with her cheesecake. _Uh-Oh_ he thought, _cheesecake alert. __This must be bad. Any apprehension he had about his feelings melted away. He became only concerned with Hoshi's well-being. None of their usual routine applied. _

            He went to the cupboard and opened the slide door. He pulled out another slice of cheesecake and sat down across from her. She shifted.

            "Trip," she said, looking him deep in the eyes, "have…" she trailed off and looked down at her cheesecake again. 

            "Hoshi, its ok," Trip reassured her, tilting her chin up so that their eyes could meet again. Hoshi smiled and took a bite of her cheesecake. "Whatever it is, its ok."

            "No Trip, its not ok," she looked at him seriously, "Trip…" She had a pleading look in her eyes.

            "Hoshi, you can tell me anything, you know? Is it Travis? Cause I could beat him up if you want," he mocked her, bringing a brief smile to Hoshi's face again. _God, she's beautiful when she smiles. "Well, is it Jon? I mean, if you need me to beat up the captain..." he searched her for a clue. "Oh my god, did something happen when you and Malcolm disappeared?"_

            "Trip, promise not to judge me," Hoshi begged. Trip felt nervous. Here he had come, only just realising that the love of his life was right in front of him, and Hoshi was going to say that she loved Malcolm. He nodded. There was nothing else he felt he could do. _At least I have your friendship_ he prayed.

            Next Hoshi told him everything that had happened. Once she started talking, she just kept on going, for fear of stopping. Trip merely nodded. She didn't see his relief when she finished by saying, "I could never love Malcolm like that. But now I just felt like a slut. I mean, how could I do that?" But all Trip was thinking was _Oh my god, said my name! That might mean…_

            "Hoshi, that does not make you a slut. You could never be a slut. It was just the circumstances… and, ahh, don't cry Hoshi." He switched seats to the one next to her and took her in his arms. He kissed her hair and murmured comforts.

            "Trip, I just want to undo it, I just want to…" she was choking on her tears. She turned around and looked at him.  "Thank you," she whispered.

            They just looked at each other, feeling safe until their lips interlocked. They had both waited so long for this. And it felt like paradise.

…

            The next day on the bridge Hoshi had no qualms with Malcolm. She felt at ease. She felt happy. _Wipe that smug look off your face, or the captain might start to wonder. _Trip stopped by the bridge every chance he got. Every one of his explanations was meet by an arched eyebrow by T'Pol. But Trip didn't care. Neither did Hoshi. They just exchanged silent glances. Silent laughs. Silent kisses.

            Now they were on their way home. Jon was happy because he would be as far away from the doomed planet as he would get for now. Trip was happy because of Hoshi and getting his ship fixed up. They had gone six months without a proper overhaul. Hoshi was happy because of Trip and getting a chance to maybe see her old class again. T'Pol was never happy, but she did seem less tense. Travis was happier because he could meet his family when the _Horizon was at Jupiter Station. Finally, Malcolm was happy because Hoshi seemed to have brushed the entire incident away. If she was going to ignore, then he could ignore it. The ship was altogether happy._

            It couldn't last.

TBC


	3. Things have to go wrong sometimes

I've had this lying around for ages. Un-beta-ed.

Chapter 3

            Malcolm Reed stood with the rest of the senior staff in the Starfleet briefing room in San Francisco. They were going to have a "buffet brunch", as it had been called in the invitation, with senior Starfleet officials and the Gumyarians. 

            The Gumyarians had been granted refugee status, the first ever alien species to be granted that on Earth. They would all go to a place south of Alexandria in Egypt, were they could all work and live. With the first permanent resident large group aliens, Starfleet had been exalted as a visionary organisation. Therefore, naturally, Starfleet had taking this opportunity to ask for more funding. This brunch was just another photo opportunity.

            Malcolm sighed deeply as he stared out the window into the small garden below him. On a bench, Curgi was sitting. She was reading a novel and seemed to be enjoying the cool breeze. She had turned out to be a very intelligent, far more intelligent than she seemed, but frail person. On the planet, she had collapsed several times, according to the away team. Trip had been helping her to the hospital when they both lost consciousness. Next, they were found in the storage room with the others. 

So there had been no romantic interest. Bitterly, Malcolm accepted this. He wanted Trip to deceive Hoshi, to be the infamous womaniser that he was. But Trip was the perfect Southern gentleman. 

            Behind him he could hear Phlox speak with the Captain about one of his "pets". Phlox had been poking and prodding Malcolm and Hoshi every day after their return from the Gumyarian planet. Everyone was worried that what had happened to almost all of the Gumyarians would happen to them. Malcolm was also worried, but as a bulwark and a confident armoury officer, he never faltered. He kept up the nonchalant appearance as he appeared, as ordered, in sickbay for inspection. 

            But he struggled throughout his days. When there was no more armoury work to distract him, and he was forced to sleep, he dreamt uneasily. He recall how Commander Tucker, Trip, came faithfully with Hoshi to their appointments. How Hoshi would never look him into the eye. And before he woke, he would remember that night. 

            He smiled at himself. He didn't worry about disappearing, like many of the Gumyarians had. Hoshi was the one disquieting him. _Reed, straighten yourself out. You just had to fall in love with that woman, didn't you? Stupid, stupid, stupid man, he reprimanded himself. If it hadn't been for the crowd behind him, he probably would have started banging his head into the wall. _

            Hoshi felt extremely nervous. She was standing in her pink dress with Trip outside of his parent's home. Trip sensed her nervousness, and before he reached for the doorbell, gave her a long, passionate kiss. _Thank God I'm wearing permanent lipstick_, she thought as she leaned in. The kiss warmed her like whiskey. 

            The kiss ended too abruptly. The door opened, revealing an elderly man clad in a plaid shirt and khakis. Hoshi could detect a faint smell of sandal wood from the jovial man.

            "Sorry. Did you kids want me to come back in five minutes?" he joked and extended his hand to Hoshi. Trip laughed heartitly as he hugged the old man.

            "Hey dad. Impeccable timing, as usual," Trip said, and he and his father exchanged bemused looks.

            "Don't worry Trip, my boy, I won't tell you mother," he turned to Hoshi, "she would mother you to death if she knew that Trip had kissed you."

            Hoshi began to feel uncomfortable. The man's smile seemed automatic, falsely genuine. It was like he was playing the role of the kind father expecting a daughter-in-law. Her mind began to drift to Trip's reputation as a ladies man. She wondered how many times Trip brought women to the house. But she didn't have time to idlelly think as a plump house wife appeared.

            "Why Charles, ain't you gonna introduce this friend of yours? Sweetie, I'm Charles's mom. You can call me Mrs. Tucker," she said and led Hoshi into open living room. "Now," Mrs. Tucker spoke slower and more exaggerated, "do - you - want - something - to – drink?" _The woman's treating me like I'm ignorant,  Hoshi sighed to herself. _

            Trip strode forward, and made an apologetic gesture behind his mother's back.

            "Yes, Mrs. Tucker. Some water would be lovely," Hoshi calmly stated, trying to remain passive. The woman in front of her staggered a little, before briskly walking to the kitchen and fetching a glass of water for Hoshi and Trip.

            Mr. Tucker started talking with Hoshi, "So, what do you do up there?" His eyes seemed genuinely interested, but Hoshi couldn't help feel that it he was playing his role. Her acute ears could pick up the whisper's behind her.

            "Charles, hun, why didn't you tell your ma that she spoke English fluently."

            "Ma, she's the linguist onboard the ship, remember?"

            "Darlin', you know how these Asian people can be."

            "Ma…" Trip said, his voice sounding exasperated. Hoshi pitied him. 

But it was obvious how much he enjoyed being home. He was much more relaxed. His usual optimism seemed unshakeable. As the evening pressed on, his parents and him untwined, along with their accents. The richness over their voices warmed her.

She knew that she loved him.

It seemed like nothing could come between them. No parents, no events, nothing.

            Hoshi awoke in her hotel room in the basking warmth of the sun. She turned around to find a tossed Trip lying next to her, with his arm around her hips. It was one of those perfect moments. She kissed him lightly on his forehead, before carefully getting up.

            She dressed only in her satin robe. Picking up the phone, she quietly ordered room service. The room was still too cold compared to the bed, and she crawled back into the warmth of Trip's embrace and the blankets. After pulling the covers snugly around herself and Trip, she closed her eyes. 

            "Mmmm…" she heard Trip groan into her back. "Why are you dressed? It's too early to get up," he muttered, still half-asleep. 

            Hoshi sat up and slid off her robe.

            "Better now?" she said seductively.

            "Much better." He pulled her close to his body. She revelled in the warmth. They lay there for the rest of the day.

            "Cap'n, it's not like I'm asking for the Nile!" Tucker exclaimed.

            "Trip, I know, but there are rules…"

            "I know about the damned fraternization rules. But you realise that because of them, T'Pol had do recommend that shore leave at Risa?" The captain smiled at the memory. T'Pol's "suggestion" had become infamous, especially since Trip and Malcolm had almost been robbed, a spy trying to get information from the captain, leaving only Hoshi to "relax". And she had set out in the spirit of work! "Cap'n, there are at least a dozen couples out on this ship. And they all have to sneak around because of some lousy rule created by bureaucrats who have never been on a ship like this." For a dramatic touch, he added, "We could be putting the ship in danger, for Pete's sake!" Trip felt that his points had been well made. Much better than when he had made them to the mirror that morning. But then again, Hoshi had distracted him… _No, com'on, serious face. Smug grin is not good_, he coxed himself. But Jonathan Archer had already spotted the grin.

            Jon smiled as he came to a conclusion, "I think that we need to expand certain departments on certain decks. This may mean that some crew might have to share rooms." He tried to stay serious as he continued, "But Trip, nothing until this approved by headquarters."

            "Thanks Jon. You won't regret this." He dashed out of the captain's ready room onto the bridge. Jon just sat at his desk, dreading the task that he had before him.

            Malcolm looked up from his station as he heard the doors swish. He was expecting the captain to come and talk about his recommendations for the upgrades. Malcolm had recommended installing a new feature that would allow more power to be diverted to the weapons system without needing engineering's intervention. Last time when he had recommended this, Trip had become extremely angry. He was worried that "armoury is going to be hurting my engines." Trip hadn't appreciated Malcolm's remark about Starfleet owning the engines. 

            Malcolm also had a feeling that Trip had a personal grudge against him. His instincts told him that Hoshi had told Trip about the alternate universe. Nothing had happened, but there was still an uneasy truce between Hoshi and himself, and now Trip. 

            Trip walked in with a definite spring in his step. Malcolm looked back at his schematics, slightly irked at Tucker's happiness. 

            Everyone knew about Hoshi and Trip. They were **the** couple that everyone talked about. How they were the couple that would change the fraternization rules. How cute they were. How Hoshi had been seen leaving Trip's quarters early in the mornings. Malcolm would politely sit through as Cutler or Mayweather would talk about them. He would nod and say the customary "really", raising his eyebrows higher than T'Pol could. Either Hoshi hadn't told anyone else about the alternate universe, or they were just humouring him. 

            He knew that Trip was exchanging glances with Hoshi. He could see from the corner of his eyes how Mayweather turned around to look at the couple.  _Good old T'Pol. At least she'll conduct in a manner appropriate to an officer on duty, he bitterly noted. He would never hear the end of it when Mayweather came to diner. __Please let there be some emergency in the armoury, he silently prayed. But, with his luck, everything would be running perfectly. Not that it ever wasn't, when he was in charge._

…

two months later

            They orbited the M class planet below. The captain had mentioned that this planet was a candidate colonisation planet, one of the few chosen by Starfleet. Devoid of sentient life, it was extremely similar to Earth. A preliminary team had already been sent down, followed by two teams of scientists who were tired of the exploring and just wanted to do some science, not rescue missions.

            Some crewmen had proposed that they do some "survival training", while they were at this paradise. Obviously hoping that they would get some shore leave, they hadn't prepared on the Captain or their armoury officer taking this so seriously. While Lieutenant Reed had prepared locations and courses, Captain Archer had, based on Reed's recommendations, complied teams. 

            So much for shore leave. At least for Reed's team.

            Reed's team included the legendary ensign and commander.

…

            The last group arrived from the shuttle pod an approached the small camp that, by now, had become a small village.

            Standing on a rock in the middle of the hut-like tents was Malcolm Reed.

            "Alright. Our team consists of us ten to start out with. We will review the basic principles of being on a foreign planet. Now," he surveyed the group infront of him whom were anticipating their orders, "Today, to ease us into things, we will work on self defence techniques. I have complied a list of pairings." He held up the only PADD allowed down to the surface and started to call out names. "… and Uberstein. Sato and myself. Tucker and …" He heard murmurs of disagreement. "If you don't like your partner, I suggest you take it up with the captain or your partner. I didn't make this list. The captain did."

            In fact, he didn't like the list. He had tried to make the captain switch Hoshi for Uberstein. But the captain felt like an older brother towards Hoshi, and wanted her to be with his best. To no avail had Malcolm protested. 

            He walked up to the ensign as the crowd began to divide into their pairs. Trip's arms were wrapped around her as if he was protecting her from a menacing threat.

            "Ensign Sato, I believe I am your partner," he said as he motioned for them to untangle. Tucker walked over to his partner and started to talk and joke, but his gaze kept on coming back to Hoshi and Malcolm. "Alright, everyone grab some pads. We'll start out with some kickboxing. I want you to do a plain front kick into the pad. Like this," he demonstrated by kicking gently into the pad held by Hoshi.

            The pairs lined up under the now heavy sun. Malcolm took Hoshi's pad

            "One!" Half the team kicked into the pad. Hoshi tried to kick fiercely into the pad, but to her dismay Malcolm remained steady.

            "Two!" Malcolm called out. "Make sure that you are kicking with the ball of your feet. And don't lock you knees!" he shouted. Hoshi knew that the comment was directed towards her.

            "Three!" Hoshi took a step and jumped into the pad, knocking Malcolm onto the ground. Everyone rushed around to see if he was alright.

            "Oh, I'm so sorry sir!" Hoshi exclaimed, but was proud over herself.

            "**That's how I want you all to be able to kick. But without the jump," he said as he smiled. Hoshi had been slightly taken aback by the smile. She had expected him to be angry, to somehow be reprimanding and instead he was complementing her. "I think I might have injured my back falling on this rock. Ensign Cutler, could you please help me? In the meanwhile, Sato, go with Cutler's partner." He turned his smile to Cutler's partner, "careful, she packs a punch!"**

            If looks could kill, Hoshi would have been convicted for homicide.

…

            "Today the gloves come off." A few whispers could be heard complaining about muscle aches from the training the day before. "We will drop the first two groups off at point A on this map. Take a good look at this map, you might have none later. The second two will be dropped here, at point B. Everyone will be expected to be back within two days. After three, a shuttle pod will hone onto your beacons and you will come back that way. Everyone who stays here, other than monitoring the signals form the beacons, you have the next days off." 

The crowd began to busily talk among them selves, as they scrambled to see who was going first. The list read:

Group 1: Simmons, Manzzero; Cutler, Hanzera

Group 2: Tucker, Gonzalez; Sato, Reed

…

            "This is the drop location, sir," the crewman dutifully replied. He carefully lowered the shuttle into the clearing. Outside, the tropical trees swayed in the breeze from the shuttle. The group climbed out of the shuttle carefully, unsure of their surroundings. Trip helped Hoshi out and into his arms, as Gonzalez and Reed got out. Reed had removed the gel patch from his back the night before, and his back was still tender. But he would carry out his orders anyway. 

            Malcolm went through a mental checklist as he motioned for the shuttle to leave. _Burned the map, have knives, encrypted PADD… He knew that given the chance, those left behind would use his belongings to their advantage. _

            "So, which direction, sir," Gonzalaz politely asked. Malcolm looked at the couple embracing before directing his attention to the female crewman. 

            "We aren't technically on duty. Call me Malcolm."

            "Well, Malcolm, where to?"

            "The sun at our camp set in this direction." He drew a sketch in the sand. "I think we should therefore go in that direction."

            "Alright. Can I have some of this water," she asked, pointing to the small flask she was holding. 

            "Remember, that has to last," Malcolm reminded her.

            "I know. But this damn sun. Let's get moving. Hey! Love-birds! Let's get moving!" Malcolm was impressed at how easily she took command. She had real authority in her voice. _Of course she does. She's an armoury officer_, he proudly thought to himself. 

            The four of them started to move into the forest.

            "Can you guys hear that?" Hoshi said, after a long day of walking. They all froze, with Lucia Gonzalez and Malcolm Reed taking defensive positions. "It sounds like water." They all started to follow Hoshi as the water called them like sirens. Soon, all of them could hear the waterfall. They carefully approached, unsure of what they would find.

            As they peered through the bushes at the water, they could see some sort of deer drinking the water. A swift motion from Malcolm made them all sit down and wait. After what seemed like an eternity, the deer walked calmly into the foliage.

            Malcolm led the group to the water.      "At least now we know its drinkable," Malcolm declared as he cupped his hands to drink some of the vital liquid. The other followed his movements.

            "We shoulda killed that deer for food," Trip pronounced after quenching his thrist.

            "Then we too would have died. There was some sort of predator stalking that animal," Malcolm retorted.

            "Still, we need food. I could eat a horse!" Trip cried out. 

            "I told you that you should have had some more diner last night," Hoshi told him.

            "Don't start bickering. Lucia, you and I will try to find some food. You two start a fire." 

            As Malcolm and Lucia left, they could hear Trip say "I know a way to heat things up…"

…

            Their diner had been simple. Some fruit which Malcolm had assured them wasn't poisonous; meat; water. Trip and Hoshi had managed to make a small fire. They talked about everything.

            "So, Trip, what is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you on one of these training things?" Lucia asked.

            "Well, in Australia, there used to be this girl. Joan, I think it was. Well, anyway, I had a crush on her. So I was thrilled when we were paired up together for a space simulation. I mean, I thought this girl was gorgeous. She was smart, funny, really fine. We started going out each night. But she would never invite me to her apartment. After a while I started to wonder if there was some deep dirty secret in there. So one night, I go over there and knock. And this bald guy, or girl shows opens the door. Turns out that Joan was more of a Jake."

            They all laughed, all expect Hoshi.

            "Are you feeling ok?"

            "Yeah, I've just a headache. The fire is a bit too hot for me. I'm gonna go wash off behind the waterfall." They had discovered that there was a cavern behind the waterfall, filled with water to form a small pool.

            "I'll come with ya," Trip said, as they walked off. Malcolm and Lucia sat in silence. Soon they could hear the conversation.

            "What's amatter Hosh? You really ok?"

            "No, Trip. You told that story differently before."

            "I may have rounded off the edges."

            "No Trip. You lied. And its not the first time."

            "What the heck are you talking about?"

            "That time you couldn't make it for diner. You weren't working, I saw you with Gina."

            "She had had some bad news. Parents wrote to say that her grandpa had died. Isn't a boss supposed to take care of his workers?"

            "You forget that I deal with everyone's letters. She hadn't had any for months."

            "But…"

            "And then there was the first contact with the Tylnises. You had sex with the royal princess!

            "How was I supposed to know that once you kissed their hand some strange chemical started controlling you."

            "I'm just tired of it all Trip. I'm tired of feeling like another one of your women. It feels like you are only using me for sex!"

            "Hoshi, you know better than that!"

            "Do I? It's the only thing we ever do since meeting your parents! Maybe we need a break."

            "What!?!?!?" 

            "Trip, my mind and body are completely in love with you. But my heart is just…"

            "Now you are the liar. You said you love me."

            "I do Trip, I do. But…"

            "And I love you. Then there are no buts."

            "Trip…"

            "Shhh…"

            Malcolm and Lucia didn't need to imagine what was happening now. They started a rather forced conversation about what they had done back at Earth.

            Soon, they were joined by Trip and Hoshi again.

            "I'll take first watch. Then I'll wake Trip. After Trip it's Lucia and then finally Hoshi. Try to get some sleep."

            Three of them fell asleep around the fire, leaving Malcolm with his thoughts.

            He looked at Hoshi and Trip. Inside of being happy about their misfortune, he found his jealousy turn into pity. He had been infatuated by Hoshi in the alternate universe. But knowing that she didn't love him had killed that. The only thing that had been left was jealousy augmented by her and Trip not speaking with him. 

            He was going to try to change things. He was going to start anew. He had been trying to before, but this time he would succeed.

            Part of him wondered if there was some alternative motive for deciding on this when Trip's and Hoshi's relationship was becoming rapidly unstable.

            They continued their trek the next day. The group definitely had an advantage having Malcolm with them. He guided them quickly towars the camp, and shortly after mid day, they could see smoke rising.

            "The camp! Well, this was easy," Trip said in a self assured manner.

            "This wasn't designined to be too hard, commander," Malcolm retorted. He continued, "As it seems like finding our way back is the most common affliction that happens to away teams, the captain and I felt that this was an appropriate traning simulation."

            "So Trip, this how thing was made for you," Hoshi joked.

            Trip smiled back at her. "It's not like I get lost that often."

            "Only when you aren't busy fixing the engines or getting pregnant!" 

            "Why you!" Trip tickled Hoshi on her sides, causing her to run up next to Lucia. 

            Malcolm put his hand up in a motion to stop. In front of tem was a massive rift in the ground. It was too deep for them to climb down and up. But they could probably build a bridge using the massive trees. Now their only problem was uprooting of the trees.

            Trip took a look around and went to a tall tree, probably 30 meters high. It was thick and massive, making the perfect bridge. Trip picked up a sharp rock and began to hack at the bottom of it.

            "Well, what ya waitin for?" he asked the confused expressions of his team mates.

            "Sir, you won't be able to get that tree down that way," replied Lucia for Malcolm. "It's too big. Look, you are hardly making a dent. What if we take thinner trees and tie them together using these liana type things. "

            "An excellent suggestion. And since you seem so proficient at this, you direct this undertaking," Malcolm told the crewman.

            "Yessir! OK, the men will get study, long thin trees. Me and Hoshi will get these vines and start braiding them together to make them stronger," she instructed.

            _Have to make a recommendation for promotion, Malcolm noted._

            After gathering materials, they began to form a ladder. Hoshi and trip, however, started arguing.

            "Trip, don't wrap the vines so tightly. They'll snap."

            "Hoshi, I've got a degree in engineering. I think I know what I'm doing."

            "Really? Then why haven't you fixed our bed. Why haven't you fixed the shower?" 

            Malcolm and Lucia sat quietly, trying to stay out of the argument.

            "Umm, guys, me and Hosh will get some more stuff…" Trip led Hoshi off into the forest. He was fuming at her. When he was sure that they were completely out of earshot, he let go of his vicelike grip of her arm. "I'm a busy man, Hosh. I have to take care of the entire ship."

            "Well, what about us?" Hoshi asked, her eyes filling up with tears.

            "We are fine," he calmly said.

            "No we aren't, Trip. Not really." Trip looked at her in disbelief, and then began to examine her arms with his hands. "What are you doing," Hoshi asked, her tone becoming angry.

            "Hoshi, you might have some sorta bug. We'll talk about the when Phlox has had a look at you."

            Hoshi pulled away her arm and looked straight into his eyes.

            "No Trip, we are going to talk about this now, or never again." 

            Their blinking contest went on for several minutes.

            "I don't need someone who doesn't love me," Trip said unrelentingly, in a secret last attempt to win her back.

            "And I don't need someone who is too in love with his engines to see what's right in front of him. You know what they say Trip," she said mockingly, "Big engine to compensate for what's small down there." Her eyes followed down his stomach to his groin. If this was just a lovers' quarrel, now would have been the point where she would have torn his clothes off. But this was no lovers' quarrel.

            "Fine! It's over, _Ensign_ Sato."

            Hoshi felt panic grip her. Was this really what she wanted? As small part of her was scared to loose his big, safe arms. His sweet words. His soft touch.

            "Trip, can't we just be friends?" she said pleadingly. Trip looked at her and cursed every late night he had spent away from her. 

He barely registered his own soft, "Yeah, that would be nice… Com'on Hoshi. I'll be a changed man. I just didn't realise…"

"I know Trip. That's the problem. If you didn't realise this, then what would life be like? We could keep on having these conversations, promising to start again. But getting nowhere."

Trip wanted to say that none of this mattered. But he knew it mattered to Hoshi. He realised that she wasn't his Hoshi anymore.

"We should get back," he said in order to avoid the next pregnant pause.

He turned around at looked at Hoshi, taking in her beauty. It would be the last time he would be able to do this, he realised with depressive resignation.

They both came back to find Lucia and Malcolm fruitlessly attempting to make fire.

"Here, let me try," Trip offered and struck the flint so violently that the small sparks immediately created fire. But Malcolm and Lucia were impressed, but knew better than to say anything.

The dinner was eaten in silence.

…

            "Good morning ladies and gentleman. Today, you will be crossing a bridge made by yours truly," Trip announced loudly to the sleeping figures, who instinctively groaned from their uncomfortable sleep. 

            All, except Malcolm. He had heard Trip rise during the night and begin to build a bridge to cross a ravine. But he had known better than to rise and ask if he could help. Trip needed to work his frustrations off alone, and Malcolm respected that.

            They all ate a meagre breakfast in silence. Then, Trip announced that it was time to cross and did without further word. Lucia shrugged her shoulders and followed.

            The bridge was about a foot wide, and crossing it required some balance. Trip simply walked across, neither noticing nor caring about the distance down. Lucia resorted to crawling the distance. 

            Malcolm looked at Hoshi, who was not looking forward to walking across.

            "I'll be right behind you," he said softly, and lead her to the edge.

            Hoshi turned around and searched his eyes.

            "You have always been protecting me, haven't you?" she asked him.

            He didn't answer, but instead led her forward.

            "One step at a time," he said, and let her take the first step alone.

            She wanted to look back to assure herself that he was following, but was afraid of losing her balance. She could hear the wood beneath her whinge with every step. It creaked with Malcolm behind her. 

            Soon she developed a rhythm. Right foot forward, left foot. Right foot forward, left foot. 

            Then it went wrong. The wood didn't sound the same. Then there was a large creak. 

            "Don't worry, you're doing fine," Malcolm said behind her. She tried to ignore the sounds, but the creaking sounded very wrong. _Only a few more steps, she reassured herself. _

            Then there was a large crack. Both she and Malcolm froze. She saw Trip and Lucia scurry to find something to help them make the last distance. 

            "It's fine," she said to Trip, as both her and Malcolm fell down into the darkness of the abyss. 

…


	4. Together

…

            "Where are we?" Hoshi whispered to the darkness. She could sense that Malcolm was close to her, but not sure where.

            "Hoshi?" Malcolm's voice was reassuringly close. "Hoshi? Turn around. It appears that we are in one of the Jefferies tubes onboard the Enterprise."

            Hoshi slowly rolled over. Malcolm's arm was around her waist and she found herself looking at part of the Jeffries tube and his face.

            Malcolm looked at her briefly with a small smile. 

            But Hoshi pushed his arm away and sat up, running her hands through her hair.

            "We fell," was all she could say.

            Malcolm's smile disappeared, and he looked forward along the hall.

            "Did you hear that?"

            "What?"

            "Com'on Hoshi. Listen." 

            Hoshi concentrated hard and the sounds. Finally she heard a voice.

            "Trip!" she said in a whisper. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but was stopped by Malcolm's hand.

            "This isn't our Enterprise, Hoshi," Malcolm whispered, and slowly took his hand away. 

            Hoshi and Malcolm looked at each other, both knowing that they had "shifted" again.

            "I need to be sure," she said, and Malcolm nodded understandingly.

            "This way," he motioned, and they started towards Malcolm's quarters.

            Malcolm and Hoshi unlocked the hatch, only to find themselves in the storeroom. Before Hoshi could crawl back into the tube, Malcolm tossed a uniform at her.

            "I assume that you are still an ensign," he said. He picked up one for himself, and started to strip. Hoshi just stared at him. "It's not like we've been in decon together," he replied, and zipped up his ensemble.

            Hoshi managed a smile and followed suit.

            And when she was finished, Malcolm did what she had last expected: he walked out the door.

            "Malcolm," she hissed, however soon followed. It seemed to be the order of things on this ship, following Malcolm.

            "We look like their Reed and Sato. Why not enjoy the benefits?" he answered. "I saw laundry marked with our names."

            "Where are we going?" Hoshi asked. She was unsure if Malcolm knew either.

            "We are… Wait," he said, pushing her into another corridor. They heard another Malcolm talking to a crewmen. 

            When Hoshi nodded that all was silent, he led her into more Jeffries tubes.

            "We are going to my quarters," he said.

            "Why yours?" Hoshi asked, barely able to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She wanted to see what this Hoshi was like. 

            "Don't get your knickers in a twist," Malcolm replied, never slowing down. Hoshi felt exhausted at the pace he was going, but tried to keep up appearances.           

            "There is a data junction next to my room. We might just be able to find out what kind of ship we are on."

            _The Enterprise, duh, Hoshi wanted to say. But she restrained herself and kept going._

            After an eternity, they arrived. But not at Malcolm's quarters.

            Hoshi swore she could hear Malcolm grumbling.

            They saw through the grill of the air vent Malcolm hunched over his PADD alone in the filled mess hall. Only his table wasn't crowded. Hoshi pitied him. It looked like the old days, when she and Malcolm used to have lunch together. If her Malcolm hadn't been next to her, she would have automatically crawled out and gotten a tray to sit down next to him.

            Another Hoshi seemed to have the same thoughts. With one plate full of pineapple pieces, and another with enchiladas, she sat down quietly. The Malcolm hardly seemed to notice her, except for his lips moving. The other Hoshi rose to get two glasses of water.

            Hoshi had to smile at what he said

            "What did he say?" Malcolm asked, unabashedly curious about his alterego.

            "He said, 'Is this an attempt to get me to stop working? With a glass of water it just might work." Malcolm blushed slightly. Hoshi remembered why they had stopped having lunch and stopped smiling.

            The other Malcolm took the other Hoshi's fork and started to eat the pineapple, his eyes never leaving the PADD. The Hoshi came back and, after putting the glasses down, gave his hand a litter slap and took the fork back. She then proceeded to gloatingly eat the pineapple.

            Malcolm blushed, and started crawling back the way he had come. But Hoshi lay there, mesmerised. This Malcolm was in the same position as one of the ghost-like versions of Malcolm back in that room. She started wondering how her life might be different if small things had changed.

            In the middle of her thought, everything went black again.


	5. Dreams and reality can't mix

            Hoshi woke up again. It was strange shifting. It wasn't like the transporter, which sent a tingle through her spine. It felt like fainting. Hoshi reluctantly opened her eyes wider to adjust to the dim surroundings.

            "Hoshi?" she heard Malcolm ask. His voice was urgent, but near.

            "Malcolm?" she asked back, hoping that his voice would lead her to him.

            He shushed her softly, and brought his hand to hers. She could barely make out his face in the darkness.

            "Don't be afraid. It appears that we are in a cave system," he said in an attempted jovial voice. She involuntarily winced at the realisation that they weren't on the Enterprise. She felt Malcolm's hand tighten, followed by sounds in the cavern. They both recognised the sound of Klingon.

            "Come here."

            Malcolm led them further into the recess of their cavern and further from the sounds. 

            "Malcolm?" Hoshi asked. She looked up at the outline of his face. _Com'on__ Malcolm Reed.__ You always have a plan._

            "It's not that simple," Malcolm started. "I wish that we could just get the blommin' hell out of here."

            Hoshi hugged him tight as they both heard the drunk Klingons' approach. They both knew that they didn't have a chance. But Malcolm readied himself to fight.

            Then, it all went black again.

…

            Malcolm woke up with a smile on his face. He was dead. That was the only explanation. There was no way that Hoshi and he could have survived the Klingons. His only regret was that he couldn't protect Hoshi.

            She lay sleeping in his arms. The gentle sun wisped over her face, her arms, her legs… It was like a fantasy, and Hoshi was the sleeping beauty. Malcolm resisted the urge to kiss her awake. 

            He was happy that he was in heaven. Even after all the chaos he had created, he was in heaven. _Thank you, Lord_, he thought, despite his atheist beliefs. He didn't bother looking for a logical explanation. He was dead. _There is no logic in the afterlife. Unless God is actually a Vulcan…_ he mused.

            He would miss the Enterprise. The Captain. Trip. But they were behind him. He could not return. Neither could Hoshi. _Poor Hoshi, she never had a chance to make amends with Trip. She would be plagued by it forever. Malcolm would gladly cross the great divide if it would bring Hoshi peace._

            Existence faded once more.

…

            Malcolm woke with a cold shock. He was causing the shifts! It was the only explanation. Every time he wanted to leave, they left. _It must have been the machine_, he realised. The possibilities were endless now. If he could control this power, he could save lives. He could explore time. He could find out if his latest nightmare was true, if he would die alone.

            He looked around. They were grassy bank next to a large stream. The sun was shining modestly overhead.

            Hoshi woke to his movement towards the stream. The water beckoned him with refreshment. His felt his strength give way and he collapsed, tumbling into the water.

            "Malcolm!" Hoshi cried out. Scrambling down the side of the bank, she jumped into the water, which reached her waist. She tried to run towards Malcolm, but the water slowed down her pace. She resorted to swimming. Flinging herself towards Malcolm, she hurriedly turned over his body and began to swim back.

            She spotted a large python snake along the bank and had to convince herself to continue.

"Malcolm, you so owe me for this."

She could feel his body grow colder from the water. The panic settling in caused her to summon the strength to pull his body up the bank, to a sunny clearing. She screamed at him, but he didn't answer. Remembering her resuscitation training, she started checking his airway. She then tilted his head back. No breathing. She gave him two breaths before checking his pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

"Malcolm, don't do this. Wake up!" she screamed against her sobs. She continued to give him air. To let him die was unacceptable. Then she would be alone here. Maybe forever. She screamed at him again, but still no response.

She placed her head to his chest, intent of savouring the sound of his heartbeat. He started coughing out water.

"Malcolm!" she said, helping him onto his side.

"Where's the attack?" was his first response. "Where's Hoshi?"

Hoshi wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. Instead she hugged him and insisted, "I'm here Malcolm. I'm here."

He tried to get up, but collapsed again. Hoshi checked his breathing and heart, and when she was assured that he was fine, she put him into the recovery position. Then, she simply lay next to him watching him breathe.

…

            Hoshi felt a bit cold as the breeze nipped her skin. But it would be colder in her suit. She automatically checked Malcolm, and found him still sleeping. She rose from the indentation in the grass, and went over to check on their drying uniforms. 

            She had remembered her survival training. To stay warm. So she had taken off their clothes, although leaving his underwear modestly on. And she had tried to make a fire. But sleep overcame her. And although she struggled to stay awake, she couldn't. And so she had simply resigned to lying close to him, so that they could share body heat.

            The sun would soon be setting. She returned to the small pile of sticks and tried again to make fire. The sticks stubbornly refused to cooperate. So she reluctantly left Malcolm to find materials to build a shelter with. 

            When she returned, a fire was going and Malcolm was sitting next to it.

            "The trick is to use very dry materials, and rub the sticks together as fast as possible," he said. 

            "How are you?" she asked and placed her hand on his forehead. He didn't have a fever.

            "A bit cold," he admitted as she noticed his goose bumps. 

            She rose and got his dry uniform, and her own. They dressed silently.

            "I've found some shelter," she said, her eyes fixated on the fire.

            "Good," was all he said.

            After basking by the fire for a while, Malcolm grabbed several large sticks, set them on fire, and let Hoshi lead the way to her shelter.

…

            "Thank you," Malcolm modesty said as they sat by their new fire and home.

            "For what?"

            "For saving my life."

            "You would have done the same for me," Hoshi answered. Malcolm smiled: he would have done the same for her. He would have died for her.

            "I know why we shift," he admitted several minutes later.

            Hoshi looked at him with shock.

            Malcolm returned her look with a placid expression.

            "I make us shift."

            "You what?" Hoshi asked, shocked at the man she had just saved.

            "I don't know how. But I want us to shift, we seem to do it."

            "Then why don't you just take us home?" Hoshi asked. It seemed like an obvious question.

            "I can't. I've tried, but it simply will not work. I just feel too tired. Maybe one of us could make it back, but not…"

            Thoughts were racing though Hoshi's head.

            "This must be what happened to everyone else. Everyone else shifted, and simply couldn't find their way back. They must have become lost in the drift of the multiverse. And they brought people with them. That's it Malcolm! If we could only tell the Captain…"

            Hoshi realised the futility of her words. They themselves were stuck. Or at least one of them was. But they couldn't abandon the other.

            Malcolm had merely been nodding as she spoke. Now that she had finished, he said his words.

            "If we are stuck here for the rest of our lives, there is something you must know. I love you Hoshi. Not merely as a friend, you've been a forgiving friend, but as I love you as a woman. I don't think that I could imagine being on the Enterprise without you. And although I know that things are not as good between us as they could be, I want you to know that I don't feel any different. You are my guiding star. But if you want to go back, I'll do everything in my power to make it happen."

            Hoshi stared into Malcolm's sincere eyes. And felt a spark alight in herself. This was a man who would cherish her above all else. This was a man who had left her alone to find happiness with another man. This was the man she loved.

            "I love you too," she answered. "And there is no place I'd rather be than here with you."

…

            They awoke the next morning, realising that this was their first morning of their lives alone, on this planet. They looked at the sun rise between the trees and felt happy at the freedom.

            A kiss.

            And then everything went black again for Hoshi.

…

            Hoshi woke up in the bushes behind Trip and Lucia. She lay curled up in the damp leaves and grass. Her delicate sleep was interrupted by sound.

            "Hoshi! Malcolm!" she could hear them call out.

            "We're here!" she croaked, her eyes still closed. Her hand moved around trying to find Malcolm's body. It wasn't there. She started to call out his name, only drawing the attention of Trip and Lucia.

            "Hoshi! Oh my God, here you are! I thought you were dead," Trip said as he held her close, rocking her. 

            "Malcolm?" Hoshi asked, receiving no answer. It dawned on her; he had caused her to come home. Didn't he realise that she would be happier with him?

            She fainted, still in Trip's arms.

…

            When the villagers had first discovered him, they had thought he was a god. He wasn't like them. He spoke in a strange tongue which the priests tried to interpret. His skin was pale and smooth, lacking their scales. He only had two eyes, instead of three. But he had un-webbed fingers. 

            They decided that he was a new god. Malcolm, as he called himself, the god of the hermit warrior.

            He could kill anything and anyone. He had saved their village by teaching them how to fight off the raiders. But he only fought when he had to. And fighting obviously caused him great sorrow. He spent most of his time alone, in the mountains, whispering "Hoshi". In fact, he seemed to say Hoshi only in times of great joy or sorrow. Hoshi was obviously the balance in life, and was added as another god.

            It became said that if you lost your Hoshi in life, you became lost. Many wondered if the god Malcolm had lost his Hoshi in life.

            With the fewer and fewer visits from him, they would never know. 


	6. Resolution

Epilogue

…

            Hoshi Sato never married. She became assigned from one deep space mission to another, becoming an invaluable source on alien languages.

            However, when the Massachusetts was attacked and one third of the crew died, she left Starfleet and returned back to Brazil. She found teaching a welcome respite from the dangers of space. She began to make close friends again without the fear of them dying. She began to worry about luxurious trivialities. And she began to love each sunrise again.

            On the 25 celebration of the launch of the Enterprise, she found that the rest of the crew had gotten on with their lives.

            Captain Archer had married a Vulcan.  Not T'Pol, but a woman who looked very much like her. And he had become an Admiral. His chief purpose seemed to be to try to get Starfleet to draft directives on what can and cannot be done in space exploration.

            T'Pol had become Vulcan Ambassador to Earth, since she was most capable of understanding humans. She had been instrumental in relaxing the borders between Earth and Vulcan. She had also been able to get the two planets to develop joint policies on issues. Some people even thought that the two planets could join, in some sort of union.

            Travis had become Captain of his own star ship, and married a boomer woman. They had met while Travis was saving the boomers from a black hole.

            Phlox had come and stayed on Earth, becoming more and more intrigued by human behaviour. He had already written three best selling books on human behaviour, and his fourth was eagerly anticipated. Hoshi had his books, and found them to be just like Phlox; unwittingly humorous. 

            Hoshi had meet Trip twice since she left the Enterprise. Once, when her ship had needed dire repairs. She had talked briefly with him. But after their relationship had ended and Malcolm had disappeared, they drifted apart.

            The second time was at Trip's wedding. Not even sure if she should come, Hoshi had come to see the man who could have been hers become another woman's. It was a perfect wedding, with Archer officiating. Hoshi found herself leaving early with an excuse of a head ache.

            Seeing Trip now was a shock. He looked surprisingly good and charming as ever. Hoshi remembered why she had fallen in love with him as he laughed with someone else. When she caught his eye, his manner became more serious and he moved away to get another glass of wine. Hoshi followed him.

            "Hi Trip."

            "Hi Hoshi."

            Hoshi wasn't sure if he was actually happy to see her or not. 

Still, she asked, "How are you?"

"Fine. Age is catching up with me. But Phlox takes care of that." He smiled. "How are you?"

"Oh, fine."

They both stood in silence, waiting for the other to make a move. Hoshi felt guilty for stealing Trip from the crowd, and tried to think of a decent excuse. 

"Hoshi, was that there before?" Trip asked, looking at a small cream coloured envelope which leaned against a vase of flowers. 

"I didn't notice…" Hoshi said, looking out at the crowd.

Trip took the small envelope and opened it. He read the piece of paper for a while, and looked at Hoshi in between lines.

"Look Trip, I have to talk to Phlox about…"

"It's for you," Trip said, shoving the letter in her hand. "He was a good guy. Go," he said, motioning her to the door. She hugged him tightly before briskly walking out of the room.

"Trip? Was that Hoshi? I can just catch her…" she heard Travis say. But Trip persuaded him to stay. _Trip is a true friend,_ she thought. She held the letter in disbelief.

 "Dear Hoshi,

            I don't know what happened. But it did. I can only pray that you got back safe and get this note. I wanted to say that I love you. I'm learning how to master this new power of mine. I feel like I'm in purgatory without you. I fear we may never be together again. But I know that we will be. Maybe not now, but soon.

            You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I love you. 

Malcolm"

Hoshi stared at the paper in front of her. Why had he bothered to write? If he could get a note here, why couldn't himself back? And he could travel through time; why couldn't come back with her?

She looked up at the ceiling of stars, cursing that she was looking at it alone. She would wait for Malcolm. And she knew that he would come. 

…

            Malcolm thought he had died. He was old enough for it. Instead he woke up in a desert like landscape with a young body. His first thoughts were wondering if he had shifted again. But the other man approaching him convinced him otherwise.

            "Malcolm! So nice to see you!" said the man.

            Malcolm stared at the man, who was also wearing a Starfleet uniform. Only his had the pipes of an Admiral. The man saw him looking at them.

            "I was just visiting your time and thought I'd actually have a rank for once. Usually, when I dress up like this, I don't have any. But your people certainly get touchy if you don't have ranks."

            Malcolm looked confused at the brown haired man.

            "How do you know my name?" he asked.

            "I looked at your personnel file. Don't worry, it'll be public in a hundred years anyway.  Don't believe me? Well, you're allergic to Bromelin…"

            Malcolm tried to shift away from the man, who was becoming annoying. But it wouldn't work.

            "Sorry, you can't do that yet."

            "Are you a Gumyarian?" Malcolm asked.

            "Bingo. Geeze, you're almost smarter than Jean Luc. And he's pretty smart. I'm Q by the way," Q extended his hand and Malcolm took it.

"Where is Hoshi?" Malcolm quickly asked.

"Don't worry. You'll be there before she knows it. Do you want to go to another Enterprise and I'll show you the tricks of the trade?"

Malcolm nodded. He would do anything to get back to Hoshi.

"You know what Malcolm? I have a feeling this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

…

fin

…


End file.
